Naruto: The Search
by Ludwig the Indestructible
Summary: When a strange ship from far away crashes off the shores of The Land of Fire, Naruto and several of his friends become caught up in the crew's search for a character from an old myth. Rated T for language Russian and English , violence, and...references.
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

I don't own Naruto. Because of my next reference, I should also mention I don't own Monty Python or any of its properties. And now for something completely different: a story.

Kakashi rushed along the near deserted city streets, trying to keep from being seen. Under his arm was a small, nondescript paper bag. Inside it was a solid, but slightly pliable object. The object in question was the cause of Kakashi's haste. He wanted to make sure no one saw it, be they civilians, off-duty shinobi, or, (especially) guards. Any one of them would have been more than happy to separate him from the priceless object he had tucked against his chest.

Whenever he spotted anyone who appeared to be a possible threat, Kakashi did all he could to disappear, even if it meant diving into alleys and covering himself with garbage bags. All that mattered was that Kakashi get the object out the city before anyone noticed it was gone.

Upon reaching the city walls, Kakashi stuffed the object into one of his pouches, and painstakingly climbed the wall. He listened carefully for any uproar coming from within the city, but no such disturbance ever arose. As soon as he reached the top, he climbed down the other side.

Once he was on the ground, he rushed into the forest, making his way towards the coastline. It was imperative that he get to the Secret Grove before nightfall. If he didn't, all his work would be for naught. Kakashi shuddered at the very idea. He pushed relentlessly through the foliage, jumping through trees so he could reach his goal faster. A thousand anxious thoughts fought for control of his mind. What if he failed? What if he was caught? What if he was too late?

"No," he thought to himself, "I will succeed, no matter the cost,"

Finally, his goal was in sight, and Kakashi doubled his pace so he could get there. With a carefully timed jump, he landed exactly in the middle of the Secret Grove, a circular clearing on the very edge of the forest. From this vantage point, he could clearly see the ocean. Cautiously, Kakashi surveyed his surroundings, careful not to miss a single detail. Once he was convinced he was alone, Kakashi pulled the brown bag out of the pouch he had placed it in earlier. He delicately pulled the bag open, and reached his hand inside. Looking like a small child stealthily retrieving an ice cream sandwich from the box while being careful not to damage the precious prize, Kakashi pulled out the object.

There it was. He had finally done it. He now had, in his possession, a first edition copy of "Konoha Nights," the most highly anticipated book since "An X Ranked Mission." Kakashi forced himself to remain calm and collected. It was difficult. As he prepared to open the book for the first time, his eye caught sight of an object in the distance. Worried over what it might be, Kakashi forced himself to take his attention off his priceless new treasure, and instead placed it on the offending seaborne object.

He did not have to look at it long to realize what it was. It was a boat. Currently, this boat was in the undesirable position of being stuck on a rock. It was also in the undesirable state of having been blown up. To Kakashi, it looked as though the explosion had been internal. Perhaps a bomb or a malfunctioning boiler. Either way, the damage to the large metal ship was extensive. Kakashi rapidly sealed his book in a black plastic bag, placed it one of his pouches again, and ran toward the beach.

What he found was not promising. Few crew members seemed to have managed to reach the shore. Eventually, Kakashi decided to check and see if any of them were breathing. The first one he chose to examine was the youngest looking member of the crew. While most of the crew wore simple black tunics, this one was wearing a long black coat. Kakashi thought it was a rather foolish choice of costume for a sailor. It was then that he noticed it: a medallion hanging from the boys neck. It a had symbol on it, but it was covered in sand.

As Kakashi reached out to grab the medallion and get a closer look, he felt someone grab his arm. He immediately searched for the perpetrator, and discovered a man on the ground next to the individual that formerly occupied his interest. This man was wearing a black tunic, much like the others. The man looked like he was in bad shape. Kakashi reached towards him instead.

"No!" He screamed, pointing now to the other individual, "Save him! Our master must be protected!"

Without delay, Kakashi did as he was told, "I will bring others back to save the rest of you,"

"All we desire is our master's safety! Ensure his survival, I beg of you!"

"We will do what we can," Kakashi said, and he dashed towards Konoha as fast as he could, his mind focused on trying to save at least of the unfortunate mariners.

***

Naruto walked through the Konoha hospital with his arms behind his heads. Unlike most of the building's current occupants, Naruto was there of his own free will. In fact, he was looking for someone. He had been searching for Sakura all day, and had decided that she must have been doing some manner of work at the hospital. Naruto, being a sensible young man, had decided that he should search the hospital room by room until he found her. Though his methods had not yet achieved the desired result, Naruto was certain that he would not have wait much longer before he found her. At that point, he could tell her all about the half-price ramen special at Ichiraku's, and the brilliant idea it had given him. In fact, in honor of the occasion, he had washed his blond hair, ensuring that it was both shiny and smooth. He thought he had heard somewhere that women liked guys with hair that was shiny and smooth.

Humming cheerfully as he walked through the hallways, peering into the rooms of sick and miserable people, Naruto was startled to hear shouting coming from one of the rooms.

"RELEASE ME NOW YOU MUDAKS! STOP POKING ME WITH THAT! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHERE I AM, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHY YOU HAVE INSISTED ON PUTTING ME IN THIS ABSURD ATIRE!" yelled one voice.

"Please calm down sir, this is all for your own good!" came another.

The original voice then responded, "I DON'T CARE HOW BLOODY GOOD FOR ME YOU THINK IT IS YOU SVOLOCH!"

With a loud crash, a medical ninja smashed through the door and slammed into the wall. Emerging from the room was an outlandish looking young man, who Naruto assumed couldn't have been any older than he was. The boy had black hair and thin, ice blue eyes. Combined with his rather skinny frame and pale skin, the boy looked sickly and weak. In contradiction of his weak appearance, the boy was holding another medical ninja in the air, by the neck. Without any delay, the boy smashed the medic head-first against the wall, and released the now unconscious shinobi.

Naruto stood stock still from the shock. The Kyuubi had also suddenly made itself highly alert. It didn't feel endangered by any stretch of the imagination, but it could sense something that it didn't like about this patient.

"YOU!" the boy shouted after spotting Naruto, "WHERE ARE MY MEN? WHO ARE YOU? WHERE AM I? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"

Naruto backed away cautiously. He didn't want any trouble, and he certainly didn't want to beat up a hospital patient.

The boy marched resolutely toward Naruto, demanding answers to his questions. Suddenly, he stumbled, and fell to his knees. Naruto's caution had appeared to pay off.

"That...Mudak...tranquilized...me," the boy growled softly, clearly trying to regain control of his senses.

Naruto heard footsteps coming down the hallway. A group of medical ninja, led by Sakura, were rushing forward to carry the sedated patient back to his bed, as well as see to the health of their comrades.

"Hey Sakura..."

"Not now Naruto!" she yelled as she carried the still struggling patient inside.

Crestfallen, Naruto turned around and walked back the way he had come. He was certain he could hear Sakura punch the problematic patient. The fact that the no more loud sounds were coming out of the room seemed to support this theory.

"Well," Naruto thought, "at least I'll be able to have some ramen by myself,"

He was supremely annoyed when he felt the Kyuubi attempting to communicate. It wasn't a taunt or an escape attempt as far as Naruto could tell. The Kyuubi apparently wanted to genuinely want to speak with him. Naruto decided to speak with the demon sealed within him, since the day could hardly get worse.

"Yes?" Naruto asked.

The Kyuubi seemed concerned about something (odd behavior for a demon), "That boy back there wasn't normal,"

"Well, that was pretty obvious," Naruto replied annoyed.

"**DON'T SCOFF AT ME!**" the Kyuubi snapped, "**I DO NOT SPEAK OF THE OBVIOUS!**"

Naruto sighed, already tired of the conversation, "Then what do you mean?"

The Kyuubi composed itself and continued. "There is something unusually dark about him. Be cautious in your dealings with him,"

"Is that all?" Naruto asked, impatient.

The Kyuubi seemed to be annoyed by Naruto's blatant disinterest, "Yes," he sighed.

Naruto broke off contact without another word. He didn't trust the Kyuubi as far he could throw him. Naruto walked out the hospital in search of Ichiraku's, hoping that eating ramen until the small hours had as good a comforting effect as booze supposedly did.

***

Tsunade stood in her office, looking out the window. She had wasted no time in organizing a rescue effort for the crew of the devastated ship, but there had only been seven survivors. According to the preliminary reports from the field, only twenty crewmen could be found, dead or alive. Given the ship's size, the rest of the crew must have been at the bottom of the ocean. Unless, of course, their crew size was a key cause of the aforementioned disaster. Either way, the reports from the hospital had not been good. The rescue mission had not taken long, but she had made the mistake of not guarding their hospital rooms. The patient Kakashi had retrieved first had attacked the medics attending him, and had to be heavily sedated before they could do a thorough examination. If this was a sample of how they generally behaved, then Tsunade might be forced to imprison them after their treatment was complete.

"Hokage!" Shizune yelled, running into Tsunade's office.

Tsunade turned around rapidly, "Is one of them conscious?"

"Yes, he is," Shizune replied.

"Is it the same one that attacked our medics?" Tsunade asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, but he seems to be less volatile. He has been demanding to see you though. He's even threatening more violence if you don't speak with him soon," Shizune answered nervously.

"Is he the group's leader?"

"Kakashi said he seemed different from the others, and that one of their group referred to the boy as their master,"

Tsunade thought about the situation quickly, and about all possible ways of dealing with it. "Very well, I'll meet with him, right now. Run ahead and tell him, so he isn't tempted to make trouble.

Shizune bowed, acknowledged the command, and ran out of the room quickly.

Tsunade walked out of her office, preparing for her conversation with Konoha's new guest.

***

The first thing Tsunade noticed about the room as she entered was how cold the atmosphere was. Noticeable tension existed between the patient and those guarding him. The patient seemed to be examining his hosts, analyzing the situation he was in.

"Are you the leader of these people?" he asked without waiting for an introduction.

"Yes," Tsunade replied curtly, "Are you the leader of the ship's crew?"

"Yes,"

"Why did you attack my medics?" Tsunade demanded.

He glared at her, "Because they did not answer my questions. They simply responded by attempting to restrain and sedate me. The only way to prevent them from doing so was to attack them. I was concerned about myself and the men under my command. If you are honorable, then I'm sure you would do the same,"

"Why didn't you attack this time?"

"Because when I asked how my men were, they told me what seemed to be the truth,"

Tsunade pondered this for a moment before continuing the conversation, "Who are you, and where are you from?"

"Nicholas. Where I come from does not concern you. My homeland is a long distance from this place, and I no longer hold any social position there. Now tell me, who are _you_, and what is this place?"

Tsunade seemed reluctant to answer, but she chose to anyway, "My name is Tsunade, I am the Hokage of Konohagakure, a shinobi village located in the Land of Fire,"

Nicholas raised an eyebrow when he heard this, "A _shinobi_ village? What does shinobi mean?"

"A powerful warrior. What were you and your men doing on that boat?" Tsunade clearly wanted to ensure the conversation was an even mixture of give and take. So far, she felt she had given more than enough.

Nicholas looked at her solemnly, "We were looking for someone. Someone lost,"

"A crew member?"

Nicholas thought for a second before replying, "Perhaps,"

Tsunade didn't like the way he operated. He seemed to sense her displeasure.

"You don't have to speak with me, the six others among my crew would be better at this diplomatic game you wish to play. In the meantime, I have much to think about. Do you have any sort of music player or," he paused, looking for a word to use "moving image display device?"

"You mean a video and/or audio player?"

"Exactly," he replied, smirking.

Tsunade wanted to beat more information out of the kid, but she didn't want to show hostility just yet. Perhaps if she allowed him a few "reasonable" luxuries, he would loosen his tongue. However, if he chose to be uncooperative after his crewmembers were conscious, then perhaps a bit of time with an interrogator would do the boy some good.

"Alright," she said, "I'll let you have what you want for now, but the moment two of your men are conscious, you will prepare one of them to continue our so-called game. We will be much less hospitable if you do not help us understand the reasons for you presence,"

"Don't worry," Nicholas replied, "As long as you are honest and honorable, you have little to fear from us,"

Tsunade didn't believe a word he said. "Double the guard on all of them," she whispered to Shizune as she left the room, "I don't want them to try and escape,"

Quick Author's notes:

This story is an attempt by me to have all the major elements of a good story. Please alert me to any perceived ooc in reviews, and I'll try my best to amend my dark deeds. Any questions or other comments are welcome. I won't tell you to not flame because flames are inevitable. also, For those of you wondering why the the new character uses Russian words, its because I chose to model him and his people Russo-Germanic culture. Both groups have somewhat "resigned" philosophies toward the inevitability of misery and death, and I thought it fit the atitude of the character and his retinue. Just so all know, this takes place at some point in shippuden. Just fyi.


	2. Chapter 2: The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Some feller in Japan does. For a full list of things I do not own, send a me pm.

A few days after Tsunade's discussion with Nicholas, three crew members regained consciousness. They had conversed with their leader, and had then informed Tsunade that they would be more than happy to share information with her. However, instead of sending a representative to meet with her, they directed her to read any of the books that survived the crash. According to them, they had managed to escape the boat with important parts of their archive still intact. When she asked if she would be able to understand the writing, Tsunade was informed that they had docked at areas that used the same (or at least a similar) writing system as Konoha. Thus she had access to the limited number of translated books they had created and saved.

Tsunade had not enjoyed this solution. To her, it was like more paperwork. Still, the books were offering detailed accounts of the foreigner's homeland. From what she could tell, their culture was not all that different from that of the shinobi villages. Their nation worked using a feudal system with a so-called Czar at the top. They also used jutsu, though under a different name, and with different social connotations attached to it..

What she didn't like was the nation's apparent familiarity with death. According to the papers she had read, individuals were expected to keep from mourning anyone who died. They were meant to accept death and take it as their servant or some crap like that. To her, it sounded like justification for their undoubtedly bloody way of life. Still, she had to admit that they had behaved themselves aside from the one incident in the medical ward. Most of them had been much more placid and appreciative then their leader had. All of crewmen were older, and the youngest was probably in his early thirties. It surprised her that someone as young as Nicholas (who looked like he was in his teens) would be leading older, more experienced men. She guessed, not unreasonably, that Nicholas must hold (or have held) a hereditary title.

However, even with all the information they had given her, Tsunade knew little about them personally. The only objective they had named for their voyage had been left unclear. She had asked the others about it, but they had told her to speak to their master about her concerns. Nicholas had proved to be unreliable when it came to getting information. His main concern was simply watching news, documentaries, or historic drama on the television. Tsunade was on the verge of forcing them into submission, though she could not be certain that there weren't more of their kind coming. If there were any more of them, then any "incidents" might force Konoha to further stretch its resources to defend against a possible retaliatory invasion, something it could not afford. At the moment, the guests seemed to have no animosity towards Konoha. In fact, at least four of them had verbally expressed gratitude to the village for its help. Nicholas was not one of them.

Nicholas and his servants also created another potential problem for Konoha: what should be done with them once they had recovered? She didn't know where their intended destination was, neither did she know what they wanted to do when they arrived. For all she knew, they may even be spies from another village. In short, she couldn't trust them. She had to find a way to get them to speak to her while they were off-guard. If they were enveloped in casual conversation, perhaps they would accidentally let slip a detail about their mission or past. Still, she had to make sure they were all separate during the occasion. If two or more were together, they would reinforce each other's resolve, as well as carefully monitor one another for slips of the tongue. She had to make sure they would be in an environment where social, rather than direct, pressure could be placed on them by her chosen "agents" unmolested.

Suddenly, she realized the solution. Have them all eat dinner with a small group of specially selected shinobi. In order to allay any suspicion, only a few could receive invitations, and they couldn't receive them on the same night. The gatherings would also have to seem like they were for the benefit of all involved. If anyone in the ruse didn't fulfill their role correctly, then any further attempts to use this strategy would fail, fueling the suspicions of the already cautious targets. All she needed now were shinobi who could convey an honest invitation to be friends.

"Well," Tsunade thought calmly, "that shouldn't be too difficult,"

***

Naruto had practically danced with joy when he received a summons to see the Hokage. He finally had another mission he could get to work on. He had been feeling slightly listless of late, mainly because he had had no chance to test his strength. He had been training hard since his last mission, and he wanted to prove himself capable of excelling when faced with a challenge. When he had reached the doors of Tsunade's office, Naruto was surprised to see almost every Konoha rookie present. He was told to wait outside the office until the rest arrived. Once the final team members arrived, they received admittance into the Hokage's office. Her instructions took them off guard.

"You want us to eat with someone?" Naruto asked depressed.

"Precisely," Tsunade responded, slightly frustrated by Naruto's attitude.

"Do you really need all of us for that? I had other plans for the night," Kiba said.

"Cancel them," she replied tersely. "We need all of you for this mission,"

"Why?" Kiba and Naruto yelled.

"Because, our cover story is that you all want to go eat somewhere, and you then invite the mission's target along with you as a guest,"

"Why can't one squad take care of it?" Naruto whined.

"Because all of you have qualities that are needed for this mission, though not all of you will actively engage in conversation with the guest. Quite a few of you will talk amongst yourselves for the most part. However, each squad has someone who is in some way useful for accomplishing our goal," Tsunade said, steamrolling numerous attempts by Kiba and Naruto to interrupt the conversation. She continued despite their ongoing attempts to protest. "For instance, you two will be instrumental in the mission because you are excellent at distracting people,"

Naruto and Kiba grumbled to themselves, resigned to the fact they could not escape their fate.

"Who is it we have to take out with us?" Sakura asked.

"I'm sure you all heard about the recent ship wreck, and our rescue operation?" Tsunade asked.

Only a few nodded.

"A ship crashed?" Kiba yelled.

"When did that happen?" Naruto added.

"I didn't hear about it either," Rock Lee stated, his eyes wide.

Tsunade sighed. She brought them all up to speed on the issue, sparing no details. To her relief, most of them seemed interested.

"The person you will invite to eat with you is their leader, Nicholas," Tsunade finished.

Sakura groaned.

"What's wrong Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"I had to help care for him since his first day in the hospital. Whenever anyone tried to do anything with the television, he became...uncooperative. Not that he wasn't a pain all the time, it's just that he was worse whenever anyone tried to communicate with him. Plus he attacked medical shinobi the first time he regained consciousness," Sakura said, her tone now matching Naruto and Kiba's. Everyone seemed daunted by the task ahead of them.

"Listen," Tsunade said firmly, "We need to try and learn more about him personally. Most of you are capable actors, so I want you all to try and act like you're trying to become his friend. However, make sure you ask him questions about his goals, why he left home, why he was near the Land of Fire, etcetera," Tsunade watched them all as they considered her directions. "Don't try and be clever," She continued, her eyes resting on Naruto, "and don't sound too eager. I need this to be inconspicuous. Any questions?"

There was a silence before Shikamaru spoke, "Where are we going, and do we have to pay for this ourselves?"

"You may choose any restaurant you wish. You will each be reimbursed for what you spend on your meal, just be sure to bring the check to me after the mission. However, I'd like you to try and keep the cost down. Unless he specifically chooses a really expensive restaurant, then please act responsibly," Tsunade pleaded. " Anything else?"

They all shook their heads.

"Then you are dismissed. Remember, it must be done by the end of tonight,"

Naruto hung his head as he left the room.

"Cheer up everyone," Chouji whispered happily, "We're all gonna get to eat free!"

Notes from the Author:

And so ends chapter two. I know its a bit short, but the next one will be longer. Also, quite a bit will be revealed, including the main goal of the story. Once again, I must pleade for reviews, so I may know if I'm doing alright, or if I suck on toast. Even you are visitor, you should be able to review it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will enjoy the next chapter when it arrives. Until then, keep watching the skies.


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